The social impacts of the Rea Vaya bus system on the residents of localities affected by the development: The Case of Rea Vaya in Moroka, Soweto

Planning Honours Report 2016, Wits UniversityThe Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 makes provision for community participation – as a tool to uplift/promote democracy at local level – prior to the implementation of large scale municipal development initiatives directly affecting communities. Although this has been the case with the CoJ’s Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, much media and scholarly attention has been placed on the Mini-Bus Taxi (MBT) industry and the extent to which its main stakeholders (taxi owners and drivers) are being socio-economically incorporated in the system. Yet, little attention has been given to the concerned commuters and/or communities, particularly their concerns and suggestions about the system. Aimed at filling this gap – and thus giving the community a voice in the operation of the BRT - this investigated the implications of Rea Vaya for the residents of Moroka, Soweto. The study targeted both users and non-users of Rea Vaya; and categorised the community impacts into five themes - safety, mobility, visual quality and liveability, and accessibility. Findings: Interactions with some residents of Moroka shed light on the actuality that in so far as Rea Vaya has socio-economically both its users and the Moroka community at large, the system is seen to be failing them. While the BRT stations, with their art (paintings, sculpture) and newly connected City WiFi system, have contributed to Moroka’s aesthetic value and digital connectivity of the area to other places. As well, it was noted that the system has ushered in developments such as the park and ride facility, among others, which has created employment opportunities for some community members. Yet, seven years later, the Rea Vaya BRT system has not managed to provide a reliable and accessible alternative mode of public transport. The level of service – particularly the electronic system – appears to be failing many of the respondents, and the low area coverage was seen as a major setback. This has meant that taxis remain more accessible for the Moroka community. Moreover, the findings reveal that little community participation was conducted prior to the implementation of the transportation project – the interviewed participants revealed that they were not involved in the determination of the routes that Rea Vaya would take - which has led to questions around who exactly the development is for: the government’s or the community’s. The findings indicate that even though the respondents appreciate the transformation of public transport in their neighbourhood, they have suggestions as to how its full potential can be realised and optimised. These results affirm that there is still more room for improvement in Rea Vaya in order for the system’s potential and operation to be optimised.Rural Development and Land ReformJJ201

A literature review of South African schools for the blind and their use of educational sexual models in comprehensive sexuality education

Internationally, educational sexual models (ESMs) have been gradually incorporated within comprehensive sex education (CSE) in schools for the blind (SFB). However, there is limited evidence that this has been taking place in South African SFB. The review sought to establish how these models are perceived by teachers and whether South African teachers receive any training or exposure to use these models during their teacher education. The review not only established that limited training and exposure is taking place, but that teachers state that they need these models but feel constrained by parental censorship. This meant that crucial information was lacking from these lessons (e.g., a real-life demonstration of the difference between an erect versus a flaccid penis). The review suggests that teachers need to be capacitated with appropriate pedagogy, competencies, and resources to respond to controversial areas of teaching and learning, such as the place of ESMs in CSE lessons.&nbsp

Analysing the hegemonic discourses on comprehensive sexuality education in South African schools

Despite the mixed public responses, the South African Department of Basic Education decided to issue its detailed comprehensive sexuality education scripted lesson plans for testing in schools. A desktop review was conducted by searching for digital newspapers on the online archive Sabinet References using 6 key terms such as ‘comprehensive sexuality education’, ‘schools’ and ‘South Africa’. In total, 128 newspaper articles were retrieved, but 83 were selected for a Foucauldian discourse analysis underpinned by governmentality theory. The newspapers reported on marches, letters and press conferences from various stakeholders such as parents, learners, teachers, and other social figures. Some stakeholders took the position of in favour of or against the rollout. Of interest was the seemingly neutral position where the reporting was presented in a balanced, non-biased manner. The current paper aims to make sense of this neutrality from both a newsroom reporting stance and from the public’s point of view

The sexuality of disabled bodies and individuals with disability in South Africa's comprehensive sexuality education scripted lesson plans

Local research has utilized both practical (youth with disabilities accessing sexual and reproductive health services) and theoretical knowledge (decoloniality, disability and sexuality) to understand the sexuality of persons living with disabilities. However, this knowledge has not been utilized to examine the visibility of disability and sexuality in South Africa's comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) scripted lesson plans (SLPs). A content analysis was conducted of all the Department of Basic Education's CSE SLPs (Grades 4–12). The study indicated that only in Grade 10 is disability and sexuality discussed in 3 activities. Within these activities, some attempt has been made to demystify certain misconceptions about the sexuality of disabled bodies (i.e. as celibate, asexual beings, with no romantic or sexual interests). The activities further debunk how various types of disabled bodies are sexual beings (i.e. not just those in wheelchairs). However, the fact that these discourses only emerge and left in Grade 10, raises concerns about the inclusivity of the CSE curriculum for disabled youth (e.g. CSE not acknowledging issues of power and consent amongst youth living with disabilities). A critical discussion is provided of the gaps identified and recommendations provided by existing practical and theoretical knowledge to inform the current CSE SLPs.http://link.springer.com/journal/11195hj2022Educational Psycholog

Queering South Africa’s protective school policy for LGBT+ youth : the Nare Mphale case

The transphobic abuse of the transgender youth, Nare Mphale, within the schooling environment has called into question protective school policy for South African lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other non-conforming (LGBT+) youth. Nare, who has since passed, was harassed after her school principal instructed her classmates to feel her crotch to “find out what is there”. This violation called for the identification, analysing, and queering (disrupting compulsory heterosexuality) within South Africa’s protective school polices for LGBT+ youth. This study also asked, which protective school policies recognize gender and sexuality diversity and teaching of inclusive curricula such as comprehensive sexuality education? What accommodations do these policies provide in terms of admission requirements, preferred pronouns, sex description change, dress code, and reporting procedures following instances of abuse? A critical analysis of 7 protective school policies using queer theory was conducted to establish how these policies protect LGBT+ youth. Results suggest that despite national policies (e.g., the country’s Constitution and the Alteration of Sex Description Act) making provision for the protection and realisation of the listed accommodations for LGBT+ youth, schools may fail to implement such policy implications based on their own interpretation of policies as evidenced within each school’s code of conduct.This was a self-funded study without external resources.http://www.journals.co.za/content/journal/jedsam2022Educational Psycholog

Smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation to climate change interventions and support systems in Limpopo province, South Africa.

Master of Science in Agriculture. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.Climate change is one of the most critical long-term global challenges, especially for Africa and even more so Southern Africa. Agriculture is more than an economic cornerstone of most rural households in sub-Saharan Africa and climate change variations pose a threat to the agricultural sector and food security of these households. Climate variations such as increased hot seasons have been reported to lead to loss in food production through crop failure, human disease outbreak and livestock deaths. Several initiatives to develop climate change interventions and support systems are reported, however, it is not known if they are reaching and benefitting the smallholder farmers who are vulnerable to climate change. The study investigated smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation to climate change interventions and support systems in Mopani and Vhembe districts, in Limpopo province, South Africa. Hundred and fifty questionnaires were administered to smallholder farmers who were subsistence farmers who produced for household consumption and only seldom sold; those who were farming for both household consumption and selling the surplus; and those who were mainly selling referred to as ‘food producers’ because their primary goal was to produce for the market. Eight focus group discussions were conducted to collect in-depth information on smallholder farmers’ perceptions towards climate change support systems, interventions and experiences towards climate change. Transect walks were done with a small group of farmers from four local municipalities to observe if the farming production systems and practices of the farmers were adapting to climate change and to probe on what influenced their decisions. The study findings revealed that crop production was regarded as a way of life for smallholder farmers in Limpopo province, especially amongst women farmers (72%), as it contributed to household food security and 73,3% farmers also sold surplus to generate livelihoods. The farmers perceived prolonged droughts (56.4%) as the main shock stressing their production whilst other farmers were of the opinion that very hot seasons were the significant shock (56%). The focus group discussions revealed that the smallholder farmers had different perceptions of climate change and the majority of smallholder farmers perceived climate change to be caused by supernatural forces. Only a minority adapted to climate change, by changing planting dates and intercropping. However 42% did not adapt due to water shortages and 67.3% were not aware of climate change interventions and were not receiving any climate change support. Consequently, almost all the farmers (78%) relied more on their indigenous knowledge for resilience to climate change. However, female smallholder farmers seemed to be more vulnerable to climate change impacts due to their age, health status and high level of illiteracy as compared to their counterparts male farmers, hence they were hit hard by the climatic variability and experienced measurable crop losses (68.7%). In response to the prevailing climatic condition different gender adapted different strategies, 41% of female farmers adapted to changing planting dates, while male farmers employed crop variety and diversification (35%) and mixed cropping (15%) better than female farmers. Therefore, this means there is a need to bring awareness of the implications of climate change to the farmers. There is a need to consider indigenous knowledge system-based climate change support and interventions to empower farmers with capacity to withstand climate change challenges. To encourage farmers to adopt climate-smart agriculture technologies, which can be achieved through creating and enabling policy environment for adaptation, the government also need to invest in smallholder farmers skill audits programme, in the long run, so that these farmers graduate from just being subsistence farmers and food producers to commercial farmers

De/coloniality, disabled sexualities, and anti-oppressive education : a review of Southern African literature

This review seeks to establish the current body of knowledge on the intersection of de/coloniality and the sexuality of disabled individuals. It suggests that few studies problematise the lack of such intersections in Southern Africa. The review locates this dearth of knowledge within the recent rollout of comprehensive sexuality education in schools, which remains silent to intersections of de/coloniality, disability, and sexuality. This analysis builds on the recommendation of Kumashiro to consider marginalised and post-structural theories in developing anti-oppressive education for disabled groups in terms of their sexualities. This becomes relevant as the sexuality of disabled individuals has been subject to institutional oppression based on colonial ideologies of health, beauty, and sexuality, since socio-medical discourses portray disabled individuals as infertile, non-sexual, and degendered. Given the shortage of relevant studies, the review uses the available local and international literature to locate the complex, interconnected structures and actors that perpetuate repressive colonial systems such as ableism, compulsory able-bodiedness, and heteronormativity within sexuality education. It suggests alternative ways of looking at these intersections within the diverse scope of comprehensive sexuality education. It does not claim that decoloniality is the panacea to erase the consequences of coloniality towards disabled sexualities, but suggests that it is one of the modalities that can redress the complex, interconnected systems of post-colonial oppression. The review recommends that future authors consider other marginalised and post-structural theories in conceptualising anti-oppressive education, like Foucauldian theories.http://journals.sagepub.com/home/saphj2022Educational Psycholog

Using governmentality and performativity theory to understand the role of social attitudes in young people with visual impairment access to sexual and reproductive health services

This exploratory study investigates how governmentality enforced by societal attitudes influences performativity of young people with visual impairment (PVI) to/not access sexual and reproductive health services (SRH). To explore this phenomenon, existing data was utilised from a focus group around the sexuality of young PVI with three experts in the field of visual impairment as a starting point. A thematic analysis revealed various challenges that might be encountered by young PVI as they access SRH, e.g. stigma. A Foucauldian discourse analysis builds on these challenges by suggesting that governmentality construed by institutional, macro-level structures (e.g. social attitudes) should not be taken as the only barriers to/not accessing SRH, but young PVI might also employ individual, micro-level decision-making processes (e.g. socially-negotiated rationalities) to/not access SRH. The final theorisation here remains unsettled; actual voices of young PVI need to be located in this ongoing conversation.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_genbeh.htmlpm2021Educational Psycholog

The integration of Information and Communications Technology in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training sector in the Western Cape

Abstract: The ubiquity of ICT, as well as its use and application across all industries, has forced TVET colleges to integrate it into the teaching and learning process to ensure that students are well trained for the world of work, which is dominated by technology. However, the use of ICT for teaching and learning does not happen without any challenges as some lecturers in TVET colleges find it difficult to integrate ICT in the teaching and learning process. Thus, an investigation into ICT integration in TVET colleges is crucial in order to gain insight into how lecturers in TVET colleges experience ICT integration and to identify factors that influence their ICT integration in the teaching and learning process. This research was aimed at exploring ICT integration in order to identify the factors that promote or hinder ICT integration, as well as the extent of ICT integration in the teaching and learning process, through an analysis of personal experiences of lecturers at a TVET college in the Western Cape, South Africa. A qualitative research design was used for this study. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The researcher collected and analysed documents from the participants and the TVET college to determine the extent to which lecturers integrate ICT into the teaching and learning process as well as to identify the most preferred technological tools used by TVET lecturers. The documents review was used to corroborate the findings from the interviews. Purposive sampling was used to select the TVET College as well as the participants for the study. The findings indicated that effective ICT integration will take place if there are sufficient ICT resources available, technological pedagogical knowledge, ICT policy on ICT integration, as well as a positive attitude towards the use of ICT for teaching and learning. All the lecturers that participated in this study identified several benefits and motivating factors for using ICT for teaching and learning.M.Ed. (Information and Communications Technology

Hostel redevelopment programme of the Kagiso Hostel in the Mogale City Local Municipality

Hostels are a product of the migrant labour system that originated in the copper mining industry in Namaqualand in the 1850s. The migrant labour compounds were used to accommodate migrant labour workers in the urban areas. However, these compounds also meant that migrant labour workers were denied the right of access to permanent accommodation and residential space in the urban areas. After the repeal of the influx control and segregative laws in South Africa in 1986, some of the hostel dwellers brought their relatives and friends to live in the hostels and this resulted in problems such as overcrowding which were exacerbated by poor management and control of the hostels. The living conditions of the hostel dwellers deteriorated during the 1990s. After the announcement of the unbanning of all liberation movements and political parties in South Africa in the 1990s, hostel violence broke out. This hostel violence left many hostel blocks vandalised and without basic municipal services such as electricity, water and waste removal. The hostel violence was primarily between the Inkata Freedom Party (IFP) aligned hostel dwellers and the African National Congress (ANC) aligned township and informal settlement residents. The hostel violence has catalysed the public housing challenges faced by the democratic government since its inception in 1994. Nevertheless, since 1994 the democratic government has introduced various housing programmes in an effort to provide adequate houses for all South African citizens. One such housing programme is the hostel redevelopment programme. The hostel redevelopment programme was adopted by the democratic government after 1994 with the aim of, among other things, upgrading public hostels, redeveloping and converting the rooms in public hostels into family rental units in order to improve the living conditions of the hostel dwellers and introducing hostel dwellers to family life. The Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) is one of the municipalities in Gauteng province that is participating in the hostel redevelopment programme. The findings of this study have revealed that the upgrading of the Kagiso hostel involved the following two processes: During the first process, the MCLM upgraded the Kagiso hostel by fixing broken windows and doors, repairing toilets and providing basic municipal services such as electricity, water, and waste removal in order to improve the living conditions of the hostel dwellers. The second process involved demolishing the hostel blocks and converting them into family units in order to address the public housing challenges relevant to the Kagiso hostel. In this study, the hostel redevelopment programme is called process 1 and the community residential units (CRU) programme is called process 2.Public Administration and ManagementM. Tech. (Public Management